What do parents know about sexual victimization? What do they tell their children about it? How do they react when their child is in fact victimized? Why do so few parents report such experiences when they find out about them? Why is it such a difficult subject for them to discuss with their children? This study explores the attitudes and practices of parents on the subject of the sexual abuse of children. Evidence suggests that parents are poorly informed and do not give their children information that might be helpful in avoiding victimization. There is also evidence that parents contribute to trauma caused by sexual victimization by inappropriate emotional reactions to the event. One goal of the study is to discover what communication, if any, takes place between parents and children concerning sexual victimization. A second goal is to explore the beliefs and attitudes that contribute to parent's inaction (e.g. failure to report) or overreaction (e.g. blaming the child) when told about such an experience. A final goal is to find out how sexual anxiety works to block communication between parents and children on these and other sexual matters. The study will interview a random sample of three hundred male and three hundred female parents of children aged six to fourteen in the Boston metropolitan area. Findings from the study should assist in educating both parents and children about sexual abuse. They should help children to avoid it, parents to react more sensitively to it, and public agencies to create a climate in which a larger number of actual cases will be reported.